Not all online searches and transactions are performed on search engines. Directories and social media websites expand your reach and have some of the hottest leads on the web at an inexpensive cost. Whether free or paid, these marketplaces are worth spending your advertising budget on.

Should You Submit to Online Directories?

Yes! You should submit your business information and website to relevant directories, and I’ve included a list below. This list is a great sources of leads, consumer reviews and referral traffic. Free or paid, it is important you control your business profile because you need to engage and advertise to consumers where they want to be. Once you claim your profile, update any information that is inaccurate, and be sure to provide details about your business that are a selling point and may draw a new customer in. Most importantly, claim ownership now so that you can respond to positive and negative reviews of your business in the future.

How Many Is Too Many?

There is no set number of directories your business should or shouldn’t be in. It’s the quality and relevancy of the directories that is important to keep in mind. Links from spammy websites, hacked websites or low quality sites constitute bad neighborhoods that you don’t want to belong to. Linking to your site from these bad neighborhoods on purpose will make you a target for manual penalties from the search engines.

How to Tell Which Directories Are Legit

I have put together a list of 32 directories I recommend, below. But there are many more worth considering. If you’re interested in submitting your site to a directory, take a look at the businesses listed and if you would feel comfortable calling on those businesses and they are relevant to your business, then you should feel safe submitting to and being a part of that neighborhood. The quality of the sites you are listed in is important, so stick to the best. The goal is to make sure that the most accurate, up-to-date information about your business gets published where your potential customers are searching.

Getting Started

On any of these sites, search to see if your business is already listed, then claim control of your existing listing instead of submitting a duplicate. For new submissions, I’ve linked to the deepest page that can help you set up a new business profile quickly. Also if you have a directory that you think should be included, please feel free to mention it in the comments.